20 



1.1 I I.I. NX ().")!>, T. S. IM-'.l'ARTMKNT OF ACKK 'UI/i'URE. 



the exceptional man who finds it more advantageous i<> remain a ten- 

 ant after he is able to become the owner of a good farm, and it is 

 fortunate for the Nation that this is so. 



There is another reason why. from the standpoint of national 

 economy, tenant farming as a general proposition is not desirable. 

 On the farms included in this study, the records show that notwith- 

 standing the larger profit of the tenant with small capital, compared 

 with the profit of the small owner, the records show also, as has been 

 recorded, that the owner farms have less cotton and more feed 

 crops, and consequently the agriculture under ownership is better 

 balanced and more stable. The records show also that the owner 

 farms produce a larger yield per acre. It is seen that ownership 

 induces better cultivation, maintains soil fertility, and increases 

 substantial values. The lesson to be drawn from the study in this 

 respect is that while it is unwise to purchase high-priced land upon 

 small payment at a high rate of interest, ownership is to be encour- 

 aged when there is a reasonable expectation of accomplishment. 



HIRED AND CROPPER LABOR. 



Owners have two alternatives with respect to labor: They may 

 hire labor by the day, month, or contract, or they may employ cropper 

 labor. Table VIII shows the relation of the croppers to the owners 

 or operators on farms of different sizes. On farms having 80 acres 

 or less of crops, averaging 62.5 acres per farm, 9.2 per cent of the 

 land is worked by cropper labor. As the farms increase in size, more 

 cropper labor is employed until in the group of farms of 121 acres or 

 more 22.5 per cent of all land is worked by cropper labor. The aver- 

 age amount of land worked by croppers in the region is 18 per cent, 

 of the total crop area. The acreage of cotton produced by cropper 

 labor, however, is 22 per cent of the total. The fact that there is a 

 considerable increase in amount of land worked by croppers as size 

 of farm increases is accounted for b} T the fact that the operator is not 

 able to give proper oversight to the larger acreage where wage or 

 hired labor is employed; further, the responsibility of securing extra 

 labor for chopping and picking is transferred to the croppers. 



Table VIII. — Relation of size of farm to percentage of acreage farmed by wage 

 and cropper labor (Jl'i farms. Ellis County, Tew., in Wlfy). 



Size of crop area. 



Number 

 of farms. 



Average 



size crop 



area. 



Per cent 



of total 

 crop area 



worked 



by wane 



labor. 



Per cent 



of total 



crop area 



worked by 



cropper 



labor. 





37 



62.5 

 100.1 

 198. 9 

 117.5 



90.8 

 85.2 

 77.5 

 82.0 



9 2 



81 to 120 acres 



121 acres and more 



39 

 38 

 114 



14.8 

 22.5 

 18 







